A London doctor advised the Syrian regime on how to suppress images of children being tortured by soldiers, leaked emails have shown.

The Guardian said it had obtained thousands of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's personal messages, and while their authenticity has not been independently validated, the newspaper said details have been cross-checked with several sources.

The messages reveal a sometimes mundane and prosaic side to the president's life, while also hinting at the dark nature of his regime which the UN says has killed "well over" 8,000 pro-democracy protesters since March 2011.

Also on Friday the Telegraph revealed how Iran has thrown Syria an economic lifeline with extensive plans for new oil, road and rail links, according to minutes of a meeting between ministers from the two countries.

"The Syrian people should determine who will lead their country and so the opinion of some of our foreign partners will hardly foster a solution," said Mikhail Bogdanov, a Russian deputy foreign minister.

Suggestions otherwise "send the opposition a false signal that there is no sense in entering dialogue" he added.

Protests were reported across Syria on Friday. Videos reportedly showing some of those in progress can be found below: